“Really fast” was the overall description of Anthony Schwartz from both coaches and players postgame Saturday night.
This offseason, coaches and players have all had similar responses about the incoming receiving class group and their likelihood of seeing impactful play time in 2018.
In No. 7 Auburn's 63-9 throttling of Alabama State, track star Anthony Schwartz showed just how effective he could be in different facets of the offense.
Schwartz had two touchdowns on the day, one in the air and one on the ground. The first touchdown came near the end of the first quarter where Anthony Schwartz showed his big play potential, channeling his inner Tyreek Hill and outrunning everyone on the defense on a deep post route for a 57-yard touchdown reception.
“I just took my drop and I wasn’t even worried about the [defensive back], I knew he could pretty much outrun just about anybody,” Stidham said. “I just put the ball in the air and he made a play and made a touchdown.”
Ryan Davis also knew the defensive back did not stand a chance on the touchdown grab. The safety dropped down, leaving Schwartz one-on-one -- a losing recipe for any defense.
“We have been practicing that play all week and we knew he was going to have an opportunity for a deep one,” Davis said. “We knew no one could run with him as well, so once I seen the snap and seen the safety come down, with him just one-on-one with the corner, I knew it was going to be a touchdown.”
Auburn also gave the freshman some rushing responsibilities, especially in the second quarter, when he took a reverse 23 yards around the edge and into the endzone for the score.
Schwartz was arguably the most dynamic player on the field Saturday, leading Auburn in receiving yards and third on the team in rushing – more than starting running back Kam Martin.
The increase in production from a stat-less game against Washington could be from the fact that starting receiver Darius Slayton did not play in Saturday’s game.
Once Schwartz finally stepped onto Auburn’s campus and displayed his world-class speed, Stidham knew he had a future impact player on his hands.
“You never know, especially with freshman, you just don’t know until you get with them and start practicing with them, but he can fly and he kind of showed it tonight. So, I think he is going to be a big-time player for us,” Stidham said.
A bonus of having a speedster like Schwartz on the field diverts attention away from the other playmakers on the field, especially Davis, who out in the open field is one of the more dangerous players in the conference.
Schwartz’ play tonight should garner a bigger workload as he was one of the lone freshman not to fumble the football Saturday.
“I would hope [to see more of Schwartz this season], you guys see the speed and I know the coaches know what he is capable of,” Davis said. “We have already seen it before and it was good for him to showcase it tonight and get that confidence going moving forward for his season and his career as well.”
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